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The Demon Wastes
| religions = Kalok Shash, Fiend worship | imports = | exports = None | alignment = }} On the outer fringe of Khorvaire both physically and socially The Demon Wastes is a forbidden realm of barren rock, the last remnant of the ancient civilization of rakshasas that reigned over Khorvaire before the Age of Monsters and long before humans ever stepped foot on Khorvaire's soil. Location North of the Eldeen Reaches beyond the Shadowcrag and Icehorn Mountains lies the scarred land of the Demon Wastes. Hanging like a scab on the edge of Khorvaire many in Khorvaire would sooner forget about its presence than acknowledge its existence, or what calls it home. Many hope the land would slough off into the Barren or Bitter Sea or perhaps float north and join the Frostfell freezing whatever foul denizens call the place home in a permanent glacier. Society Two distinct barbarian groups occupy the Demon Wastes. The Ghaash'kala clans inhabit the Labyrinth, while the Carrion Tribes worship the imprisoned rajahs, the orcs wander the plains that lie to the west of the canyons. In Ashtakala the Lords of Dust hatch their insidious plots while Night Hags content themselves with small groups of devout followers. The members of the Carrion Tribes are the more numerous of the barbarian hordes. Descended from Sarlonan refugees stranded in the Wastes more than a millennium and a half ago, the Carrion Tribes consist of vicious human savages who worship the malevolent spirits that haunt the Wastes. Over the centuries a handful of different tribes have emerged, each following a different rakshasa rajah. No matter which demon they pledge allegiance to, the Carrions are bloodthirsty nomads known to slaughter any strangers they come across - including members of other Carrion Tribes. While they worship the ancient fiends, the Carrion Tribes also fear the rakshasa ruins and so avoid such locations. Occassionally a trie attempt to break through to the Eldeen Reaches, which results in a brutal conflict with the Ghaashk'kala clans. The Carrion Tribes are extremely primative and generally use hide armor and wooden or stone weapons, though a few may possess superior equipment scaveneged from their victims. The Carrions practice ritual scarring and mutilation; each tribe uses distinctive techniques designed to give its warriors the features of fiends. Ghaashk'kala roughly translates as "ghost guardians" in the Orc tongue. The Ghaash'kala barbarians believe they have a sacred duty to prevent evil from leaving the Demon Wastes. Primarily orcs mingled with a handful of humans and half-orcs, the Ghaash'kala clan members are fierce but not bloodthirsty by nature. They act to keep travelers from entering the Wastes, perferring to convince with words before drawing weapons. On the other hand, they consider anything that emerges from the Wastes - whether wild beasts, barbarians, or travelers returning from an expedition - to be hopelessly tainted, and they strike against such creatures without warning or mercy. The Ghaash'kala clan members are more sophisticated than their counterparts in the Carrion Tribes; they do not possess metal armor or masterwork gear, but they use studded leather, metal swords, and bows. Clan warriors carry the brand of the binding flame; they believe that these brands help to protect them from demonic possession. Four Ghaash'kala clans are spread throughout the Labyrinth, where they share a common priesthood and have strong diplomatic ties to help them carry out their sacred mission. Industries The human barbarian tribes who eke out an existence in the desolate plains between the Demon Wastes' forbidding coast and the twisting canyons of the Labyrinth have no interests in making contact with the rest of Khorvaire. Indeed, they work hard to keep the dragonmarked houses and other foreign powers from exploiting the resources of the land. The barbarians actively protect narstone and Eberron - dragonshard deposits that dot the landscape, as well as the relics of the ancient rakshasa civilization that can be found throughout the Demon Wastes. If an exported commodity of any kind exists in the Demon Wastes, it is deception and deceit. The Lords of Dust spread their fiendish schemes throughout Khorvaire, working in the shadows - sometimes for centuries on end - to promote chaos, destruction, and their own personal plans for power and conquest. Religion The Carrion Tribes worship the fiendish powers that dwell within the Wastes - the imprisoned rakshasa rajahs, the night hags, and the lesser spirits that dwell in the shadows. The Ghaash'kala worship a force they call Kalok Shash, the binding flame. The preists say that the flame consists of the souls of noble warriors, and that this force holds the powers of darkness at bay. Kalok Shash is the same force revered by the Church of the Silver Flame, although it could be difficult to convince a knight of the Flame that a branded orc barbarian is a champion of the faith. Power Groups * Carrion Tribes * Ghaash'kala * The Lords of Dust * Night Hags * The Plaguebearers History Pre-History In the great and forgotten Age of Dragons the three progenitor dragons formed the world that we know today. Khyber imprisoned in the coils of Eberron spawned unimaginable horrors called fiends which surged to the surface world through cracks and volcanic eruptions. At that time dragons as we know them, were a shadow of their current power. Fiends overran the world and the Age of Demons began. Powerful rakshasas, zakyas and night hags reigned over the world for thousands of years. Though it is not known how, what is known is that the dragons rediscovered the Draconic Prophecy which reminded them of their heritage and great power. Spurned by the new revelation the dragons launched all-out-war against the fiends of Khyber. The end of the war came, but at a great expense. The greatest of the fiends could not be destroyed, they could only be bound by the sacrifice of the couatls who imprisoned the powerful fiends in the depths of the Dragon Below. The lesser fiends who were not destroyed escaped to the region known as Fah'lrg or the Demon Wastes in Infernal. It is here that the fiends formed the Lords of Dust vowing the release and restore the imprisoned rajahs. Under Galifar Little attention has been paid to the Demon Wastes over time and the Kingdom of Galifar was no different. Though Galifar I claimed his kingdom spanned the length and breadth of Khorvaire his holdings at the rim of the continent were tenuous at best and the Demon Wastes especially saw the least effort of reclamation. In fact the region of the Demon Wastes is the only region of Khorvaire not included in the oldest lasting maps of the original Five Nations as if by simply ignoring its presence the region might disappear. The attitude, it would seem, has carried on to the people of Khorvaire as well to the present day. Cities and Settlements Other Notable Features * Broken Stone * Burning Keep * Desolate * Fiendfell * Icehorn Mountains * Kashakanta * Labyrinth * Lair of the Keeper * Lake of Fire * Shaazarak * Shadowcrag Mountains * Starkcrag Rock * Vostethatra External Links Notes References * * Category:Geography Category:Khorvaire Category:The Demon Wastes